Apple and China Mobile Agree on 4G Technology for Future iPhone

[MacRumors]

​

China Mobile Ltd revealed that it had reached a consensus with Apple Inc on the use of its 4G technology on iPhones to be offered by the Chinese mobile provider, according to a brief report on Marketwatch. "4G" refers to the faster next generation data technology in mobile phones. The iPhone 4 presently uses "3G" data technology to connect to the internet over cellular networks.

China Mobiles Chairman Wang Jianzhou was less forthcoming with any details surrounding the deal but did say that the company is planning to start commercial trials of the 4G technology (TD-LTE) in China beginning next year.

Wang had previously hinted that Apple had "expressed interest" in developing an iPhone capable of running on the carrier's upcoming TD-LTE network.

Time-division LTE (TD-LTE), developed by China Mobile, is a variation on the LTE standard that can offer certain benefits over traditional frequency-division LTE (FD-LTE), including lower cost of deployment and dynamic balancing of upload and download bandwidth. Reports have indicated that the same chip can be used to allow devices to access both traditional LTE and TD-LTE networks.

Though details are sparse, this claims in this report would fit into the rumored timeframe of a true 4G iPhone in 2012. Meanwhile, all present rumors seem to suggest that Apple will be launching the next new iPhone around September of 2011 but without 4G data technology.

Update: Bloomberg offers some additional details from Wang, though this report does not specifically say that Apple and China Mobile had come to an agreement.

The company may also be able to offer Apple Inc. (AAPL)'s iPhone with the shift to TD-LTE, Wang said. While Apple has decided not to make a version of the phone for the third-generation TD-SCDMA system that is used only by China Mobile, the Cupertino, California-based company may produce one for the TD-LTE system, he said.

Article Link: Apple and China Mobile Agree on 4G Technology for Future iPhone

 

[haruhiko]

time-division lte (td-lte), developed by china mobile, is a variation on the lte standard that can offer certain benefits over traditional frequency-division lte (fd-lte), including easy interception by the party and easy blocking of every phone in the world unless the party allows them, not to mention the great advantage of the fragmentation of 4g standards. Reports have indicated that the same chip can be used to allow devices to access both traditional lte and td-lte networks.

:d

 

[MacQuest]

iPhone 5 4G TD-LTE/LTE in '12.

Whew...

Got it.

 

[kiljoy616]

So basically Apple said communism sure not our problem that more of a Google thing.

I am still not convinced on 4G I like the idea of more speed but battery life seems to really suffer on a lot of the android phones with 4G. Its the future but what does it say about new battery technology.

 

[acslater017]

I think I picked the right generations

iPhone 3G (2008)
iPhone 4 (2010)
iPhone "4G/LTE" (2012?)

Having said that, the iPhone 4 still holds up extremely well...

 

[keitak]

time-division lte (td-lte), developed by china mobile, is a variation on the lte standard that can offer certain benefits over traditional frequency-division lte (fd-lte), including easy interception by the party and easy blocking of every phone in the world unless the party allows them, not to mention the great advantage of the fragmentation of 4g standards. Reports have indicated that the same chip can be used to allow devices to access both traditional lte and td-lte networks.

Of course, with no source attached.

 

[bushido]

So basically Apple said communism sure not our problem that more of a Google thing.

I am still not convinced on 4G I like the idea of more speed but battery life seems to really suffer on a lot of the android phones with 4G. Its the future but what does it say about new battery technology.

who cares about battery life any more really, i have to charge my iPhone every damn night anyway

 

[Popeye206]

who cares about battery life any more really, i have to charge my iPhone every damn night anyway

I care. It's nice that the phone can go all day without having to worry about battery life or having extra batteries around. If having 4G meant usable battery time was cut 30-50%, that would be a killer for me. More is better and I'm glad Apple take battery life so seriously. It's one of the best features.

As always, Apple seems not to jump on some band wagons so quickly until things settle down. Yet, take Thunderbolt.... jumped on that first. Funny how they gamble in some ways and hold on others. But I think holding on 4G is a smart move. Looks like the iPhone 5 will be a universal phone. One model for all networks... GSM or CMDA... 3G; LTE or TD-LTE... smart. Very smart.

 

[Thunderhawks]

So basically Apple said communism sure not our problem that more of a Google thing.

I am still not convinced on 4G I like the idea of more speed but battery life seems to really suffer on a lot of the android phones with 4G. Its the future but what does it say about new battery technology.

Even communists need money. They know full well that communism eventually doesn't work.

So, they are pretty open ........... to money.

Don't see why Apple should get into politics and yes, it's not their problem

 

[MonkeySee....]

iPhone 5 then.

Nobody in china will purchase a phone with 4 in the title.

 

[Digital Skunk]

who cares about battery life any more really, i have to charge my iPhone every damn night anyway

Thank you for being sensible enough to say this. There's not a smartphone with a 3.5" screen or larger that can last three straight days on 1 charge with average smartphone use. Not just making calls and such, but web surfing, GPS, pulling/pushing email, syncing, etc.

The plethora of 4G phones are the market are getting the same battery life that I've seen with the iPhone 3GS and 4. Adding newer tech that all cell companies are adopting won't hinder the battery problem.

Besides, we all have chargers strewn about the place at work, home, relatives, etc. anyway.

If the largest CDMA market in the world goes to LTE I hope that Sprint starts putting up their dual LTE/WiMAX towers or Verizon buys them out right.

 

[MrWinters]

I care. It's nice that the phone can go all day without having to worry about battery life or having extra batteries around. If having 4G meant usable battery time was cut 30-50%, that would be a killer for me. More is better and I'm glad Apple take battery life so seriously. It's one of the best features.

Well then you need to look for another phone because the iPhone isn't the answer. I travel to work 1 hour (and I use the car charger all the way there), work 8 hours, and travel home 1 hour.

I can't tell you how many times (if I forget the wall charger) my iPhone has died before I leave the office and get into my car...

 

[kdarling]

I care. It's nice that the phone can go all day without having to worry about battery life or having extra batteries around. If having 4G meant usable battery time was cut 30-50%, that would be a killer for me. More is better and I'm glad Apple take battery life so seriously. It's one of the best features.

There's rarely a good reason to leave out such a feature, as long as it can be turned on/off. When you don't need 4G, turn it off. But man, when you do need it, it's handy as heck.

It's no different than the Bluetooth or WiFi or 3G radios. Should Apple leave those out as well, in order to protect the owners from using battery?

Btw, Apple didn't leave out 3G in the first model to save battery. They left it out to save money, both for themselves in build costs, and for the user in data plan pricing. They just like to trot out the battery boogieman whenever they don't have a feature, like 3G or multitasking or widgets.

 

[Thunderhawks]

Well then you need to look for another phone because the iPhone isn't the answer. I travel to work 1 hour (and I use the car charger all the way there), work 8 hours, and travel home 1 hour.

I can't tell you how many times (if I forget the wall charger) my iPhone has died before I leave the office and get into my car...

Everybody's battery usage will differ and while it is nice that Apple watches it and tries to give you as much as possible, I find ALL battery driven devices have the same problems.

I also have charging cables everywhere and leave it always hooked up whenever possible.

In real business use it goes down fast IMO. If you leave it on standby for just calls and e-mail notification it lasts pretty long. Can't be bothered with always switching the settings to save power. Should happen automatically.

My pet peeve is still that all the cables break too fast at the plug entrance even when one is careful. I buy replacement cables 12 at a time.
Wish Apple would rethink that connector!

 

[sphoenix]

When did this site get a makeover? Lookin' shweet

 

[jav6454]

Oh boy! Here we go again with the whole TD and CD debate. This is turning out to be like in 2G times (TDMA v CDMA). Only difference now is (TDLTE v FDLTE)

I wonder what AT&T will deploy? TDLTE perhaps?

 

[ciTiger]

Too bad the rest of the world still hasn't got the LTE Network in place!
I hope this will speed up the process though!!!

 

[Ingot]

who cares about battery life any more really, i have to charge my iPhone every damn night anyway

You got that right.

 

[cvaldes]

So basically Apple said communism sure not our problem that more of a Google thing.

I am still not convinced on 4G I like the idea of more speed but battery life seems to really suffer on a lot of the android phones with 4G. Its the future but what does it say about new battery technology.

The LTE chips will improve. The first generation chips are very power hungry.

In the last conference call, Apple COO Tim Cook noted that there were certain design compromises that Apple was unwilling to make in order to bring an LTE handset to market this year. It is likely that poor battery performance is not direction Apple wants to take.

For other handset manufacturers, it appears that they are quite willing to market a handset with abysmal battery performance. Their choice.

Too bad the rest of the world still hasn't got the LTE Network in place!
I hope this will speed up the process though!!!

The rest of the world has been working on beefing up their HSPA+ networks which basically function better and have far more coverage than the LTE networks in the USA at this point.

The spec for voice over LTE isn't even complete; many countries are waiting for that to occur before deploying LTE.

There are a few countries (particularly in Scandinavia) with commercial LTE networks.

 

[deadkennedy]

Nice to see China overtaking us, while our companies continue to sell crap at an epically overpriced level that can almost amount to theft.

 

[smithrh]

TD-LTE is NOT from CMCC

Oh FFS...

TD-LTE is NOT in ANY WAY being developed by China Mobile.

TD-LTE is just as much of as standard as FD-LTE. There will be widespread deployment of both technologies all over the world. I do not yet know if mobile devices will be able to go between TD and FD systems in the very near future, but it's inevitable that they will be able to do so at some point.

 

[caspersoong]

This will result in another year of delays of the iPhone IMO.